Stanley Brian Weir (born March 17, 1952) is a Canadian former

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice h ...

centre Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics * Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentri ...

. He played on five different teams for the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...

, and one season in the

World Hockey Association The World Hockey Association (french: Association mondiale de hockey) was a professional ice hockey major league that operated in North America from 1972 to 1979. It was the first major league to compete with the National Hockey League (NHL) ...

, over an 11-year career that lasted from 1972 to 1983. Weir was drafted 2nd (28th overall) by the

California Golden Seals The California Golden Seals were a professional ice hockey club that competed in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1967 to 1976. Based in Oakland, California, they played their home games at the Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Arena. The ...

in the

1972 NHL Amateur Draft The 1972 NHL Amateur Draft was the 10th NHL Entry Draft. It was held at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal, Quebec. The last active player in the NHL from this draft class was Richard Brodeur, who played his last NHL game in the 1987– ...

, and made his debut with the team in 1972, playing three seasons there. Traded to the

Toronto Maple Leafs The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Div ...

Weir spent three seasons there before signing with the

Edmonton Oilers The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton. The Oilers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. They play their home games at Rogers Place, which ...

of the WHA in 1978, playing one season there and returning to the NHL with the Oilers, where he played a further three seasons. He finished his NHL career with brief stints with the Colorado Rockies and Detroit Red Wings, and spent two seasons in the minor leagues before retiring as a professional in 1985.

Professional career

Growing up

During summers in his childhood, Weir attended

Glen Sather Glen Cameron “Slats” Sather (born September 2, 1943) is a Canadian ice hockey player, coach and executive. He is the current senior advisor and alternate governor of the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was the Rangers ...

's hockey school 200 miles from hometown Ponoka in

Banff, Alberta Banff is a town within Banff National Park in Alberta, Canada. It is located in Alberta's Rockies along the Trans-Canada Highway, approximately west of Calgary and east of Lake Louise. At above Banff is the community with the second highest ...

. Sather would later recognize Weir as the first graduate of his program to play in NHL.

Minor league hockey

Weir started play and earning respect in 1968 while playing with his hometown

Ponoka Stampeders The Ponoka Stampeders are a Junior "B" Ice Hockey team based in Ponoka, Alberta, Canada. They are members of the North Division of the Heritage Junior B Hockey League (HJHL). They play their home games at Ponoka Culture & Recreation Complex. ...

of the

Alberta Junior Hockey League The Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL) is an Alberta-based Junior A ice hockey league that belongs to the Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL). It was formed as a five-team league in 1964. There are currently 16 teams in the league. The re ...

. In the 1969–70 season, Weir amassed 35 goals and 26 assists in only 42 games, earning him the Ernie Love Trophy (given to the AJHL Scoring Champion) at the age of 17. The following season saw Weir join the

Medicine Hat Tigers The Medicine Hat Tigers are a junior ice hockey team in the Western Hockey League (WHL) who play in Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada. Established in 1970, the team has won two national Memorial Cups, five WHL League Championships and seven Divis ...

of the

Western Hockey League The Western Hockey League (WHL) is a major junior ice hockey league based in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The WHL is one of three leagues that constitutes the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) as the highest level of junior h ...

and win the WCHL Rookie of the Year. Weir also played on a line with future NHLer

Lanny McDonald Lanny King McDonald (born February 16, 1953) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Colorado Rockies and Calgary Flames of the National Hockey League (NHL). He played over 1,100 games during a 16-year c ...

and they became friends. McDonald would later say he considered Weir one of the best junior players in Canada. Weir continued to put up big numbers in the WCHL, scoring a combined 244 points in two seasons. While still only 19, the California Golden Seals had seen enough and decided to draft Weir with their 2nd overall pick in the 1972 draft.

Reaching the NHL

After scoring 133 points the previous season, big things were expected of the young centre in the National Hockey League. He jumped right into playing with the big boys and found that his game was slowing down. Weir played 78 games for the Seals in 1972–73 and notched 39 points, a great rookie campaign. However, his offensive prowess was expected to grow as he got used to the speed and size of the NHL. The following season saw Weir scoring only 16 points in 58 games before ending the season with a knee injury. California expected more from their star centre and Weir delivered for them in 1974–75. Weir lead the team in points with 45 and assists with 27, but that paled in comparison to the point totals in the rest of the league. On June 20, 1975, Weir was traded to the

for Gary Sabourin to rejoin old friend Lanny McDonald. The Leafs were hoping Weir would regain his form and add some depth at offence. In 1975–76, Weir chipped in 19 goals and finished with 51 points on the season, helping the Maple Leafs into the playoffs. However, on a team with scoring greats such as

Darryl Sittler Darryl Glen Sittler (born September 18, 1950) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played in the National Hockey League from 1970 until 1985 for the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Philadelphia Flyers and the Detroit Red Wings. He wa ...

, McDonald, and Errol Thompson, his production was underwhelming. With similar results the next season, the Leafs decided that Weir was used too sparingly and he was sent down to the Leafs minor league affiliate, the

Tulsa Oilers The Tulsa Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and play in the ECHL. The Oilers played their home games at the Tulsa Convention Center until 2008 when they moved into the new BOK Center. For many years, the Tuls ...

of the

Central Hockey League The Central Hockey League (CHL) was a North American mid-level minor professional ice hockey league which operated from 1992 until 2014. It was founded by Ray Miron and Bill Levins and later sold to Global Entertainment Corporation, which opera ...

. Weir played hard for the Oilers scoring 57 points in his first 42 games and made some headway when he was called back up to rejoin Toronto at the end of the season and into the playoffs. He scored 15 goals in his last 33 games with Toronto including three in their short playoff run. Knowing Toronto was expecting more out of him and that he might again be sent to the minors, Weir decided to jump to the

and join the

to play on a premiere team. In his first season with the Oilers, Weir scored 31 goals and 30 assists while playing with rising star,

Wayne Gretzky Wayne Douglas Gretzky ( ; born January 26, 1961) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and former head coach. He played 20 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for four teams from 1979 to 1999. Nicknamed "the Great One ...

, who joined the team partway through the season. When the Oilers joined the NHL the following season, Weir was first claimed back by Toronto prior to the expansion draft, but was then reacquired on waivers by Edmonton a few weeks later. With them, he scored his highest NHL point totals with 33 goals and 33 assists. Weir would play two more season with Edmonton before being traded to the Colorado Rockies for

Ed Cooper Edward William Cooper (born August 28, 1960) is a Canadian retired professional ice hockey forward who played 49 games in the National Hockey League for the Colorado Rockies. Cooper was born in Loon Lake, Saskatchewan, but grew up in Biggar, Sask ...

on March 9, 1982. After already playing in 10 games for Colorado, the NHL voided the trade after Cooper was found to be hiding injuries and Weir was returned to Edmonton. Weir would not stay put for long as Edmonton traded him to the Detroit Red Wings for cash on September 14, 1982. Weir played his final NHL campaign in the 1982–83 season. He scored 29 points for Detroit that year and ended his NHL career with 346 points over 10 seasons. After leaving Detroit he played the 1983–84 season with the Montana Magic of the CHL and then joined the

Milwaukee Admirals The Milwaukee Admirals are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL). They play in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States, at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee Panther Arena. They are affiliated with the NHL's Nashvil ...

of the International Hockey League for the 1984–85 season. Weir retired in 1985. However his retirement was short-lived as Weir decided to play senior hockey in Ontario for the

Brantford Motts Clamatos The Brantford Motts Clamatos were a Canadian senior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey Association's Senior A Hockey League, from Brantford, Ontario. The team played their games at the Brantford Civic Centre in the 1980s. The Brantford Mo ...

in 1986. He spent a season with the Clamatos and a season with the

Dundas Real McCoys The Dundas Real McCoys are a Canadian senior ice hockey team based in Dundas, Ontario. They play in the Ontario Hockey Association's Major League Hockey. The Real McCoys have won two National Championships, winning the 1986 Hardy Cup as Cana ...

of the

OHA Senior A Hockey League The OHA Senior A Hockey League was a top tier Canadian Senior ice hockey league in Ontario from 1975 until 1987. The league was sanctioned by the Ontario Hockey Association and the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association and competed for the Allan ...

before retiring for good in 1987.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Awards and achievements

* Ernie Love Trophy winner, 1970 *

Jim Piggott Memorial Trophy The Jim Piggott Memorial Trophy is presented annually to the Western Hockey League player selected as the most proficient in his first year of competition. The award is named after Jim Piggott who was the founder of the Saskatoon Blades, as well as ...

winner, 1971

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Weir, Stan 1952 births California Golden Seals draft picks California Golden Seals players Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in the United States Canadian ice hockey centres Colorado Rockies (NHL) players Detroit Red Wings players Edmonton Oilers (WHA) players Edmonton Oilers players Ice hockey people from Alberta Living people Medicine Hat Tigers players Milwaukee Admirals (IHL) players Montana Magic players People from Ponoka, Alberta Ponoka Stampeders players Toronto Maple Leafs players Tulsa Oilers (1964–1984) players